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assure

verb

Simple meaning

To tell someone firmly that something is true, so they stop worrying.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

uhshuur

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

əˈʃʊɹ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. transitive

    To make sure and secure; ensure.

  2. transitive

    To give (someone) confidence in the trustworthiness of (something).

  3. transitive

    To reassure.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To make sure and secure; ensure.

Used this way, assure is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use assure

  • “I assured him that traveling to Cambodia was safe.”verb

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

  • ascertain

    To ensure or effect.

  • secure

    To get possession of.

  • ensure

    Make certain of.

  • guarantee

    To make something certain.

  • insure

    To make sure or certain of something (usually some future event or condition).

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • assurancenounDerived noun · specialist

    Freedom from doubt.

Commonly Confused With

ensure, insureAssure vs. Ensure vs. InsureKnow the difference

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.